Rise of the TMNT - First Encounters of the Turtle Kind
by aggiefrogger
Summary: Thought I'd write my own version of April and the Turtle's first meeting! The TV show mentioned that they've know each other for years, so the characters are younger than in the show. NOTE: I DO NOT OWN TMNT - ANY VARIATION - IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! Thank you for everyone who's Favorited me and my past stories! Love you guys, and thanks for the support! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

When April was 11 years old, her dad let her walk home from school by herself for the first time. It wasn't too far away; it was only about a twenty minute walk, but her dad always insisted on walking her to and from school, no matter when she started complaining when she was eight. Finally, starting the August after her birthday, her dad decided to let her walk to and from by herself, which thrilled April.

The first day of school was terrifying for April; not only was there the pressure of making new friends and dealing with new classes, but she was also slightly scared walking by herself, though she didn't want her dad to find out. If she complained, he would probably walk her to school until she graduated. However, she kept her head up high, and pushed her fear into the back of her mind, throwing herself into her new school life; she joined the school newspaper (she always was an inquisitive person) and also joined the track team to improve her running.

When October came, things seemed to fall into place; April was a reporter for the paper, one of the top runners on the track team, and had banished her fear of walking home long ago. The only thing missing from her life was a friend; no matter how hard she tried, it seemed that no one else was interested in hanging out with her. However, one particular day would change her life forever.

On her way home, she got a call from her dad; he was working late that night (which he was doing more and more recently) and to let herself into the apartment. As she continued past a churro stand, she noticed a group of classmates surrounding someone a few feet ahead. These classmates were the bullies of the group, and as April approached them, she noticed a younger student being tormented by the Bullies. Deciding that she should do something, she yelled at them.

"Hey! Stop that!"

They quickly turned to look at her, giving the boy the chance to slip out of their circle and run pell-mell down the street.

"Darnit," one of the bullies snapped, turning on her. "You'll pay for that, freak!"

"You're welcome to try," April replied smoothly, "if you can catch me!" With that, she took off into the alley nearby (though it was probably a stupid thing to do with the trash littering the path), and after a second, she heard the bullies following her. If it weren't for her athletic training, she would've been a goner, but she sailed down the alley, heading towards a wire fence that towered eight feet off the ground. Throwing her backpack over the fence, she leapt onto the fence, starting to climb it when she suddenly felt a blinding pain on her back, causing her to fall to the ground, her breath leaving her. She landed on her ankle bad, and she felt it twist, crying out in pain.

The Bullies towered over her, one of them, she noticed, devoid of their backpack. _That must've been what they threw_, she thought, trying to sit up but her sore back and ankle wouldn't allow her.

"That was easy," another bully said. "Good thing she ran down here; fewer witnesses." April started to panic, thinking of what they might do to her with no one around to stop them. She braced herself for the worst as one of them raised their foot.

Suddenly, there was a clang, and a giant puff of smoke enveloped the group, causing everyone, April included, to start coughing. She felt someone pick her up gently, and she was still too sore to fight back, carrying her through the smoke towards a small gap between two dumpsters. Whoever moved her laid her gently on the ground, and suddenly, the sunlight disappeared.

"Stay quiet," a voice whispered; it sounded young, like hers, but she didn't recognize it as a classmate's. Outside, the Bullies stop coughing.

"Where'd she go," she heard one of them exclaim.

"Heck if I know! How'd she do that smoke thing?"

"Let's just go; she probably ran off back to the street." April heard the sounds of their footsteps hitting the pavement fade away. She couldn't see where she was, or who saved her, but she could hear his nervous breathing.

"Thanks," she said, sitting up with some difficulty.

"Are you OK," the boy asked.

"Not really. One of those fiends threw their backpack at me, and if I didn't know any better, it was full of bricks!" She laughed a little at that, but the pain in her ankle cut it short. "Darn it. My dad's gonna kill me when he finds out I got attacked."

"My dad could probably help," the boy said, still invisible in the dark gap. "My brothers and I get hurt all the time, so he's pretty good at healing injuries."

"I dunno," she said. "I don't know who you are, and-"

"Oh, sorry," the boy said. "I'm Donatello; Donnie, for short. Reach out in front of you so we can shake hands." She reached out tentatively in the dark, and felt a hand that was calloused (which confused her, since the boy sounded about her age) and also, after feeling it, gasped as she realized it had three fingers.

"April O'Neil. What happened to you hands?" She couldn't help asking the question.

"What? Oh," he said, sounding a little embarrassed. "I-I was born like this."

"Oh," April responded, embarrassed as well; maybe he had one of those birth defects. "Can we leave now? I'd like to see the light of day again!"

"OK," Donnie said nervously, "but, I'm...kinda scared."

"Of what? The Bullies left."

"Yeah, but I'm scared of you, and what you'd think of me once you see me."

April looked at barely visible dark shape a few feet from her, confused. "Scared of me? What do you mean? Is it because of the three fingers?"

"It's not just that," Donnie continued. "It's just that...my brothers and I...we're..._different_ from everyone else. And most people, when they see us, they get scared."

"Why? Do you have a scar like the Phantom of the Opera?" It was a musical character she once saw in a Broadway show with her dad, and had a CD of the soundtrack in her room.

"Not really, though Leo has some red marks around his eyes he's kinda embarrassed of."

"Leo?"

"My brother."

April shifted in her seat, her ankle still in pain. "Well, whatever you look like, I promise not to get scared. Or laugh," she added quickly.

"Are you sure? Even if our skin-"

"Skin color doesn't matter," she interrupted. "What matters is a person's character."

"That's what Master Splinter says!"

"Who?"

"Our dad."

"You call you dad 'Master?'"

"Yeah; we're adopted. But don't worry," he added quickly, "we're not slaves or anything; he's our martial arts sensei."

"Okay," April said a little nervously. "Can I leave now?"

"Yep," Donatello said. "But please...don't scream."

_Scream_, April wondered before the pile of boxes covering the gap was pushed aside, letting sunlight stream in, temporarily blinding her. As she blinked in the sudden light, she saw the outline of the boy Donatello, but she couldn't get a clear view at him. Finally, when her eyes adjusted to the light, she finally got a good look at him and gasped.

When he mentioned skin color, she assumed he was white or tan, but she certainly wasn't expecting green. He wore a purple mask over his eyes, like a superhero's and had a large green backpack on, though she couldn't see the straps. A second later, she realized that it was attached to him, and looked like a turtle shell. _He's not human_, she realized, her mouth slightly open. He was bald, and looking down at his feet noticed that besides three-fingered hands, he had two toes on each foot. For about a minute, April stared at him, shocked at how unexpected his appearance was. Donatello looked a little nervous, scratching his arm as he waited for her to say something.

"Wow," she said. Donnie's appearance surprised her, but he didn't scare her in any way. "You're…"

He nodded dejectedly. "A talking mutant turtle, yeah."

"That's...pretty cool," April said, and she meant it.

The turtle looked up, seemingly surprised by her response. "Really?"

"Sure," she said, scooting forward out for between the dumpsters, ignoring the pain in her ankle. "I mean, you're my age, probably, and you saved me!" Now the questions came: "How many talking turtles exist in the world? Can you breathe underwater? You're one of a kind!"

"Well," the turtle said, a small bit of blush on its face, "technically, I have three brothers. But, thanks anyway." Donnie looked back up at April. "You're...really not scared?"

April shook her head. "No." For some reason, April wanted to learn more about this talking turtle and his brothers. Maybe it was her inquisitive nature, or the fact that Donnie saved her from the bullies, but she wasn't scared of the turtle. Yes, she was nervous, but definitely not scared. She tried to stand up but fell back on her butt, her ankle in severe pain. Donnie looked at her with some concern.

"Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yeah, maybe I_ do_ need some help," she admitted timidly.

"OK, what to do...," he said, pacing in front of her while he thought about how to move her without hurting her. _Or being seen_, April thought. "I need help," he finally decided, and whistled a series of short and long blows, looking up at the buildings towering above them. April looked up too, and her mouth fell open when three more green figures seemed to drop from the sky.

The three turtles were different in varying sizes (and species, judging by their shells and body shapes), as well as the masks they each wore, like Donatello's. The largest one wore red, the smallest one wore orange, and the middle one, who looked around the same size as Donnie, wore blue, but had red marks around its eyes. _That must be Leo_, April thought. The three turtles looked surprised to see April, then the largest one turned on Donnie.

"Whaddya think you're doin', Donnie," it asked in a deep voice. "Ya know what Master Splinter said-"

"I know," Donnie said, "but she's hurt bad-"

"Not _that_ bad," April interjected though her aching ankle said otherwise.

"-And she needs help. We're taking her to Master Splinter."

"Why not take her to a hospital," the small orange one said, his voice high and young. He stared at April with some apprehension and amazement.

"The nearest hospital's ten blocks away; do you wanna risk being seen? Or dropping her off a building?"

"Dropping me," she asked weakly, but they ignored her.

"Besides, Splinter's closer, and could probably help her." The three brothers looked at one another, obviously thinking about what to do.

"I mean," one in blue, Leo, said, "she's already seen us. And we could blindfold her going through the sewers."

"What," April yelped.

"Great idea," Donnie said, ignoring her comment, taking off his mask and kneeling down next to April. "May I?"

April, a little thrown off by the politeness of the question, nodded, and the turtle carefully took off her glasses, tied the fabric over her eyes backwards (so she couldn't see) and replaced her glasses. "Ready to go?"

"Wait," she said. "My backpack's on the other side of that fence over there."

"Mikey?"

"Got it!" April heard the metallic sound of someone climbing the fence, and less than a minute later, she felt her pack drop into her lap, and she clutched it tightly.

"Raph, can you help carry her?"

"Fine," she heard the large one say. "But if Master Splinter gets upset, don't blame me!" April felt herself being lifted up into the air by powerful arms. She smelled something not unlike sewers, and wondered what she'd gotten herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe ten scary minutes later, April had the blindfold removed and her glasses put back on her face, where she blinked and studied her surroundings.

She appeared to be underground, and to both sides of her, tunnels stretched out into the darkness. That sewer smell was stronger down here, and in front of her, she saw the blue masked turtle, Leo, opening a small wooden door, leading into a chamber full of furniture, including a working TV that was turned to some Spanish soap opera. The room smelled less like a sewer, but reeked of...incense, was it? April was still being carried by the giant red masked turtle, who brought her into the room, which she assumed was their home. The space was huge, bigger than her apartment, but sparsely decorated. Followed by the other turtles, they stopped behind a large armchair that sat in front of the TV. April couldn't see who sat in the chair, but judging by turtles' nervous expressions, she figured it was someone important.

Donnie cleared his throat. "D-dad?"

"Not now, my sons," she heard from the chair. The voice had some sort of foreign accent to it, but it also sounded wise, if not old. "I'm watching my soaps."

"We know, Master Splinter," the youngest, orange masked turtle piped up. "But we need your help. April here-"  
The TV suddenly switched off, and the turtles back up quickly from the chair as if a bomb was about to go off. April heard someone grunting and the tapping of something on the stone floor, and screamed saw the biggest rat she'd ever seen.

She'd seen big rats (this _was_ New York, after all) but this one was nearly as tall as her, and stood on its hind legs. It wore a set of old robes that reminded April of those Japanes kimonos she'd seen in a museum, and had a grey goatee growing from its chin. She was nervous, to be sure, but not as nervous as the turtles were, and the hard expression on the rat explained why.

"My sons," he started, his voice deadly calm, "what have you done?"

Donatello quickly spoke up. "Well, you see Master Splinter, sir, we were practicing on a roof, and I noticed that April here was getting attacked, so I threw a smoke bomb and saved April, and the other guys didn't see me or any of us, but April's ankle got hurt so we thought that since you were closer nearby, you might be able to help." He said all of this in one breath, which impressed April.

"'_We_,'" the turtle carrying April repeated. "It was all _your_ idea, Donnie!"

"Whatever, Raph. _You're_ carrying her!"

The rat, Master Splinter, looked at April with a piercing gaze that made her feel nervous. However, she stared back at the rat, refusing to cry or scream again. She, along with the turtles, waited with bated breath to see what he would say.

Finally, he sighed. "Set her down on the couch, carefully."

Raph quickly obliged, taking April over to an old, beaten blue couch that was soft, nonetheless. April stared at the ceiling above her, still nervous about what was going to happen. Master Splinter stood in front of her, with the turtles standing behind him, watching to see what he did. He walked over to her feet, examining her sore ankle, which was twisted at an odd angle. He gently touched her ankle, which hurt, but April gritted her teeth, refusing to cry out.

"Leonardo, Raphael," he ordered, "I need some bandages, two rulers, and an ice pack." The two turtles hurried off, and came back as the rat slowly took April's shoe off. "This will hurt, but only for a bit," he said, gently grabbing her foot. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said, bracing herself because in reality, she wasn't. He quickly twisted her foot back into it's rightful position, and this time, she cried out, feeling a few tears stream down her face. Master Splinter quickly started wrapping her foot after that, using the rulers to keep her ankle straight. Her ankle throbbed with pain, but when he put an ice pack on it, the pain slowly started to subside. April quickly turned away, wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve so they couldn't see her cry.

"There is no shame in crying," Master Splinter said, his voice calmer than the harsh tone he heard earlier. "And when you were attacked-"

"I wasn't attacked," she finally said. "I was just leading some bullies away from a kid and messed up my ankle. But," she added, "I'm thankful that Donatello saved me."

The rat stroked his goatee, obviously deep in thought while the turtles waited behind him, Donnie looking a little embarrassed from her compliment. "That is even braver than fighting," the rat finally said. "I have trained my sons, and continue to do so, to protect the innocent and those that cannot fight for themselves. Thank you, Miss April, for doing the same."

April was moved by the rat's words, and could barely whisper her thanks in response. "And I'm amazed at this place you all live in; how has nobody found you yet?"

"This place used to be a storage space, by the looks of it," Leo said. "And since it's a maze of passages down here, it would be dumb luck for someone to find us."

"Did you blindfold her," Master Splinter asked.

"Yes, Master Splinter."

"Well," the rat said, stroking its goatee again, "if you are to be friends, then you might want to show her how to get here in the future, as well as help her home today."

April and the turtles blinked in surprise. "W-what," Donnie asked.

"Friends," April asked.

"I could tell when I first saw you," Master Splinter said to April, "that you are someone that will always search for answers, no matter what. I can tell that you have plenty of questions for the rest of us, and that most of the answers will take longer than one afternoon to answer. And, that you've been searching for friends for a while now, have you?" April silently nodded, starting to tear up as the rat continued. "Also, you and my sons have clearly gotten along for a short time you've know each other, so I hope, if it is OK with you, that you will continue to be friends with them, with us."

April looked up at the rat, then at the four turtles who stood behind him. Their faces were a mixture of worry, confusement, and, which helped her make her decision, hopeful.

"Of course," she said, smiling. The turtles smiled too, giving each other a high five. The rat was smiling too.

"Welcome to our home, then, April," he said, shaking her hand. "My name is Splinter. And these are my sons; Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm April O'Neil."


	3. Chapter 3

"So," Mikey said, sitting down on the ground next to April. "Do you have any siblings too?"

"No, I'm an only child," she replied. "It's just my dad and me, but he's been working late these past few weeks so it's mainly been me."

"Cool," Mikey said. "Do you go to school? Donnie's always wanted to go to school!"

"Mikey!"

"What's up Donnie," Raphael said, snickering a bit. "You wanna go to school?"

"Well school's pretty cool," April said in Donnie's defence. "We learn all about the world around us, and we also get to go to museums and stuff." The purple masked turtle was hanging onto every word she said, and she could tell he loved learning.

"Whateva," the big turtle said. "I'd rather be active than sit in a classroom all day."

"We _do_ have PE," April said. "And I'm even on the Track team, though this twisted ankle of mine may keep me out for about a week."

"It would probably be best to go see a doctor when you get home," Splinter advised, heading back towards the TV. "Excuse me." Pretty soon, the sound of someone yelling in Spanish started playing in the background.

"What about you," April asked Leonardo. "What do you like to do?"

"Oh, ya know," he said in a carefree tone, sitting down next to Mikey. "I just do my thing; acting as the comic relief of the group." The girl noticed that he was trying to casually cover the red marks around his eyes.

"Those red marks are cool," she said.

"Really," he said, lowering his hands.

"Really. They really accent your mask." Leo smiled, and April had a feeling that he wouldn't cover them anymore.

"I don't have any cool marks," the biggest turtle complained, crossing his arms.

"But you have all those points on your shell," she pointed out. "What kind of turtle are you?"

"Snapping," he said, flexing his shell a little.

"I'm a red-eared slider, of course," Leo interjected. "Donnie's a soft shell-"

"And I'm a box turtle," Mikey exclaimed pulling himself into his shell before popping back out a few seconds later. April laughed; he was so full of energy, and clearly younger than the rest.

"So, if you're mutants," she asked, no longer noticing the pain in her ankle, "does that mean you used to be human?"

"Oh no," Mikey said. "We used to be turtles, but became more human, so to speak, 'cause we're just awesome like that!"

"Oh! Is that the same for Master Splinter?"

The turtles looked over at the armchair in front of the TV. "We don't really know that much about his past," Leo confessed. "He's never told us anything like that, even though we've asked." That statement only made April more curious, and she made a mental note to ask Splinter herself. Who knows? He might tell her something.

"Do you wanna see the rest of the lair," Raph asked.

"There's more?"

"Of course! We don't live in the living room," Donnie said, sounding a little condescending.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't-"

"Oh no, you're fine; how could you know," Raph said, much more kindly than earlier, whacking his brother upside the head. "C'mon, let's show her where we train." He bent down, carefully picking her up off the couch. The ice pack fell off, aggravating her ankle, but she didn't complain.

The other turtles got up, following Raphael down a side tunnel which led into another open room, this one covered with several different floor mats. They were all mis-matched and old, and there was a strong smell of sweat permeating the air in the room. To the side were several wooden structures, old punching bags, and a wall covered with martial arts weapons; both real and wooden training ones.

"Wow," April said, not just at the pungent smell, but also at the array of weapons. "This is a pretty impressive set up. How'd you get all this stuff?"

"You'd be surprised how many dojos there are in New York City," Donnie said. "We find the ones that are getting rid of old equipment and mats, bring them here, then clean them up."

"Of course," Leo added, "they don't just throw out weapons, so we also make our own with scrap wood and metal. Master Splinter's most familiar with the weapons, and Donnie's the smartest, so they made the weapons."

"That's really cool," April commented. Next to her, Donnie blushed a little. "Do you train with the same weapons?"

"For now, but eventually, Master Splinter's gonna let us choose which one we wanna become good at," Mikey chimed in, seeming to bounce around the room. "I wanna use the swords!"

"They're called 'katanas,' and if anyone's gonna use them, it's me," Leo countered, leaping into the air after Mikey. April was amazed at how quick and agile they were, and wished she knew how to do that. Her twisted ankle, still throbbing with pain, reminded her that she was in the real world, and probably couldn't do that in a million years.

"Whatever weapons we get to train with," Raph said, obviously the leader of the four, "we'll make Master Splinter proud." The younger turtles nodded, and April felt a mixture of jealousy and happiness at how close the brothers were. She didn't have any siblings, and growing up with only her dad as her friend, she was used to only seeing siblings on TV. However, seeing how the mutant siblings acted, she was glad they acted so differently than those on TV.

"Let's show her our rooms now."

"You guys have separate rooms," April asked as they made their way down the sewer tunnels.

"Yeah. We used to share one, but that was at our old home, and when we moved here due to construction, we each got our own," Mikey said, bouncing ahead of the group, insisting that they visit his room first. "Sorry it's a mess," he said as they stared out at the small room that was covered with comics, clothes, and other assorted bits and pieces; art work covered the walls. Donnie's was full of metal scraps and he had several calculations drawn all over the walls. Leo's was clean and pristine, and Raph's was full of weights, and smelled a little like the training room.

"Your rooms are pretty cool," April said as Raph laid her back on the couch in the living room. "Mine isn't anything like yours."

"Coool! Can we see it?"

"MIKEY," the other three turtles snapped at once, causing the orange-masked turtle to blush and crouch a little.

"We just met earlier today," Leo said. "Why should she ask us to her home?"

"Oh n-no, it's fine," April stammered, moved by pity upon seeing the youngest turtle almost reduced to tears. "I'd be glad to show you my apartment. My dad's been working late for a while, so you can come over any afternoon-"

"Tomorrow?" This one was from Donnie, who blushed just like Mikey at how fast he'd asked.

April smiled. "Tomorrow would be great. I get off of school at 3:45, and I usually have track afterwards, but my ankle will get me out of it. My dad usually comes home around nine every evening, so-"

"Wait," Raph interrupted. "What time does your school start?"

"Eight in the morning."

The turtle did some quick math on his three-fingered hands. "You're by yourself for...13 hours a day?"

April had never done the math before, but hearing that, she got a little sad; she was without her only friend for more than half a day. She nodded, trying not to cry, even though the rat said ti was OK.

"Geez...how do you stand it?"

The girl cleared her throat, straightening her glasses. "I...I keep myself busy; I go to school and have several extracurricular activities. When I'm at home, I have homework, I knit, and I...watch TV," she finished lamely, not looking at the very athletic turtle siblings standing near her. How did she expect them to find anything she did interesting? _Also_, she thought, w_hat if they pity me because my dad's not at home a lot like theirs?_

After a few seconds, Donnie finally spoke up. "You can knit? How good are you?"

It took April a few seconds to answer. "P-pretty good. I'm working on a sweater."

"AWESOME," Mikey exclaimed. "Can I have one?"

"Sure," April said, smiling. Seeing the other three grinning turtles, she felt something that she hadn't felt since before her mother died.

It was a sense of family.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, April limped out of the school as the other students ran out, excitedly cheering about the end of the day. Her ankle was still wrapped with a bandage, and she'd told her dad that the school nurse patched her up. The pain died down enough that she could walk, but she tried to avoid putting too much weight on it. None of her classmates noticed, but she'd had an uncomfortable talk with the track coach as to why she had to miss practice for the next two weeks.

Meeting the mutant turtles yesterday had certainly perked at April's curiosity; I mean, who wouldn't be curious about a family of mutants living in the sewers? For some reason, however, April was also a little nervous about the turtles coming to her apartment; sure, she wanted to be friends with them, but each of their personalities were so extreme, she hoped her dad's apartment survived it.

As she made her way towards her apartment, she scanned the roofs for any sign of the siblings. They were supposed to meet in the same alleyway she first met them the day before, since it would take her twice as long to walk home on her own. April waved at the woman who sold churros as she made her way towards the alley, grateful that she could take off her heavy backpack and sit down. She took a deep breath; she had tons of history homework, as well as several conditioning exercises her coach and the nurse wanted her to do to help her ankle heal faster. The girl had just reached down to massage her ankle when she heard a creak above her head, followed by the four turtle siblings landing in front of her, startling her a little.

"Hey April," the four turtles chorused, grinning from...she didn't see any visible ears, but imagined that if they did, their grins would stretch from ear-to-ear. Raph was easily the tallest, towering above herself and the others. Mikey was the shortest, while Leo and Donnie were both around April's height.

The girl sighed with relief, grinning as well. "Hey Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey! How was your day?"

"Pretty good," Leo said. "Even with the grueling training, at least we managed to get in some _lovely_ meditation time!" April quickly learned that Leo was extremely sarcastic and full of wise-cracks. She also noticed that he wasn't covering his red marks around his eyes anymore, and couldn't help smiling a little at that.

"Cool," she said, climbing (painfully) to her feet. "Ready to go?"

"Of course, m'lady," Raph said, sweeping her up in his arms while Mikey struggled to lift her heavy backpack. "We're going the express route via the rooftops. Where do you live again?"

She told them where she lived, and without warning, she suddenly found herself on the roof of the building with no idea how the turtles had gotten up there in three seconds. After that, April quickly held onto Raph as he and his brothers jumped from roof to roof, soaring through the air. While she was scared, she couldn't help marvel at the New York buildings from above; they looked like a quilt with those squared buildings spread out around them, the Empire State Building towering above them several miles away.

Finally they landed in the alley next to April's apartment, arriving in half the time it would've taken April if she'd walked with a healed ankle. While the turtles waited outside, she hurried upstairs to her apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her (in case any of the turtles tried to explore the rest of the building), and went to her bedroom window, which overlooked the alley.

"Come on up," she called, leaning out the window. She stumbled back a few seconds later as one, two, three, then four green blurs shot off the ground and straight through her window.

"WOW," Mikey said, looking around the room. The walls were painted a nice, calming green (it was April's favorite color). Her bed sheets and rug were a nice cream, and the rug was the kind that was so soft, you just wanted to lie there all day and rest. Several posters hung on her wall, including one of Warren Stone (she'd joined his fan club at her school); all of the members of the school newspaper were enamored with the guy, and April was no exception. Her desk was a little messy, as was her dresser, but none of the turtles seemed to care.

"This is pretty impressive," Raph said, looking at her running medals hanging on the wall.

"Yeah," said Donnie, looking through the books on her bookshelf, counting how many of the books he'd read before.

"_Ooh_," Leo exclaimed, lying down on the rug. "This is SOOOO soft!"

"Yeah," April said, hobbling over to her bed and sitting down on it. "When I was little, I used to fall asleep on it, staying up reading." Donnie's head jerked a little to the side, but he continued to study the book titles.

"Can I see your knitting," Mikey asked excitedly.

"Sure." She reached under her bed, grabbing her box of yarn, needles, and unfinished sweater. The young turtle sat next to her as she showed him her sweater, feeling the soft green yarn in between his fingers. Raph pick up two needles, mentioning that they looked like some type of weapon called, 'sai.'

"It's gonna take me awhile to finish the body, and then I'm gonna have to do the neck and sleeves."

"It's beautiful," Mikey said, still feeling the yarn. "Now I REALLY want one!"

"Calm down, man," Raph said, sitting down on the rug next to Leo, who was making snow angels in the soft material. "Let her finish her own first!"

"I can't help it," the youngest brother squeaked. "It's SO soft!"

"Not as soft as this," Leo said dreamily from the floor.

"You have quite a book collection, April," Donnie said, sitting down on the other side of April. "I've read some of them, but there's quite a bunch of them I've yet to read!"

"Thanks! I have a couple more in my backpack; Mrs. Gordon gave us a TON of History homework tonight, and my coach wants me to work on keeping my ankle muscles from going out of use." She started to roll her sore ankle around in a circle, making sure her muscles didn't get too tight.

"Can I help with the homework," Donnie asked excitedly.

"Sure," April replied.

"Well don't do it now," Leo said, sadly sitting up on the rug. "I wanna see the rest of the apartment." The other turtles chorused in agreement with him.

"Fine," she sighed, Donnie helping her walk towards her door. "Now, my dad's room is all the way down the hall by the bathroom. NO ONE IS ALLOWED IN THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE! OK?" The four mutants nodded, and she opened the door into the hall, leading them away from her dad's room and into the tiny living room. A couch, chair, table, and TV sat in the sad-looking room, and a small kitchen sat nearby. The walls held some pictures of April and her dad, but other than that, the beige walls were bare.

"This is...nice," Leo said, slightly unconvincingly. April couldn't help thinking about how big their living room in the sewers was.

"Sorry it's kinda small," she started.

"Oh no, it's fine," Raph said, sitting down on the couch and glaring at his brother. "_Right_, Leo?"

"Oh, yeah, it is!"

April became a little relieved at Raph's comment. "We-we have cable, so if you guys wanna watch TV we can get any channel."

"What about the Science Channel," Donnie asked.

"Nah, I wanna watch cartoons," Mikey said, jumping onto Leo's back, bringing both of them to the ground with a thud. They playfully wrestled with one another, and April couldn't help but laugh at that.

"How about you help me with my homework Donnie," she said, "and the rest of you can watch cartoons. The channel guide is on the coffee table."

"And PLEASE DON'T BREAK ANYTHING," Donnie added, following April into her room, watching April pull out her large History textbook.

"Well, we have to write a paper on today's lesson, which was about the Industrial Revolution. Do you know anything about that?"

"Loads. Master Splinter used to bring us books from a book drop where humans leave old books. I've read every single one of them, from romance, horror, to history. What do you need help with? I'm afraid my fingers aren't well suited for typing," he said, holding them up.

"Don't worry; maybe I'll teach you someday. But for now, I need help choosing a topic; we need to choose one invention and write about how much of an impact it had on the industrial revolution."

"Well," Donnie said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "why not do something with textiles, since you like to knit."

April hadn't thought of that. "Good idea. Which one, though?"

"Well," he said, grabbing her textbook and opening it, "I would suggest…"

For the next hour and a half, Donnie and April studied everything there was to know about the Industrial Revolution. The turtle read the textbook while April searched on her laptop, as well as typing her paper. They decided to write about the cotton gin, which was a machine that separates cotton from its seeds at a quick speed. Having Donnie help her made the homework go by faster, and actually enjoyable. April could tell how much the turtle loved learning, and he seemed to soak in all the information of the textbook like a sponge. When they finally finished her paper, she found him engrossed in reading the textbook.

"Thanks for helping me," she said. "Do...you wanna keep reading the textbook?"

"Huh?" Donnie looked up from the book, almost distracted. "Yeah, I'll do that." Deciding that she should check on the other siblings, she made her way into the living room.

The TV was on, and the turtles were watching some comedy show, but it must've been old, because it was in black and white. Mikey, Raph, and Leo sat on the couch, but they all had different reactions to it; Leo looked bored, Raph was rapt with attention, and Mikey was upside down, asleep.

"Hey guys," she said. "Sorry it took longer than expected."

"It's no problem, April," Raph said, followed by laughter at something funny on the TV show. "Though I think Mikey fell asleep." He nudged his brother, who fell on the ground with a thump.

"OW," he cried, rubbing his head. "Not funny, Raph!"

"Hey Mikey," April quickly said. "Do you wanna be measured for a sweater?"

The young turtle's eyes lit up and he shot to his feet. "YES!" April walked back to her room, grabbed her tape measure, and returned to an excited Mikey.

"OK, hold your arms out like this," she commanded, measuring his arms and wingspan. The only awkward part was the chest, because she had to measure around his shell. Once, when she was in kindergarten, her class went to a petting zoo, and she had held a turtle. Mikey's shell wasn't unlike that one; it was bumpy yet smooth, and was cool. She eventually got the turtle's measurements down, and asked him what color he'd like.

"Orange would be nice," he said. "It'd go with my mask!" The young turtle's enthusiasm was infectious, and April couldn't help laughing out loud.

"I'll start it as soon as I finish mine," she promised, watching Mikey do a fist pump. "How old are you, by the way?"

"Nine," he said. "Raph's the oldest; he's eleven, and Leo and Donnie are ten."

"Were you guys mutants from birth?"

Mikey stopped jumping around, pausing to think about it. "...No. Master Splinter said we used to be turtles before we got mutated. We were all mutated at the same time. And before you ask," he added, seeing April's mouth open for another question, "no, we don't know who did this to us. Not even Master Splinter knows."

"...Wow," April said, not sure what else to say; she had so many questions buzzing in her mind. "Do you guys ever miss your real parents?"

Immediately after saying that, she knew she'd hit a sore spot; Mikey looked down at his feet, and Leo and Raph stopped arguing about changing the channel. Hearing footsteps behind her, she saw that Donnie had entered the room, clutching the textbook to his taste.

"We...never really knew our biological parents," Raph said, twiddling his thumbs.

"The only parent we've ever had is Master Splinter," Leo added, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," April said quickly, embarrassed and ashamed for bringing it up. "I didn't-"

"Of course you didn't know," Leo said irritably. "How could you? "

"LEO," Donnie snapped, horrified by what his brother said. "How could we expect her to know?"

"Right, Donnie," Leo said sarcastically. "Because how did she not know after meeting our _adoptive rat father_?" He now looked at April. "At least you know _your parents_; that's all that matters, does it?"

"LEO!" This time Raph, Mikey, and Donnie yelled at their brother. April stood there, shocked by what the turtle had said, but also upset as well. She clenched her fists as she stared at the mutant.

"Yes," she started slowly, "I know my parents. Both of them. My dad currently works 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to keep a roof over our heads and food in our fridge. I rarely see him anymore, but at least you get to see your dad every day, and don't have to wait up at night wondering when your dad is coming home!"

"April-"

"And, and, and," she stammered, growing angrier with every second, "I know my mom too! Yeah, even though she died three years ago, I still visit her once a month in the cemetery eight blocks away! So, yeah, they're _all_ that matter to me; even more than being friends with you four! Maybe you should be more grateful for the parent you have instead of complaining about the ones you don't have!" She quickly limped to her room, slamming the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

April flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling with angry tears in her eyes. She felt a little bad for yelling at the turtles, but she was too busy being angry at them to care. How inconsiderate could they be? They weren't alone most of the day. They knew where there dad was. Her dad worked at so many places, he could be anywhere from Queens, to the docks, to Brooklyn. She didn't even tell her dad about Career Day, since he was always so busy, and she didn't know which job he would talk about. If her mom were still around, she would come and talk about her job as a-

The tears started to fall as April thought about her mom. She muffled her cries with her pillow, not wanting any of the turtles to hear her. Feeling underneath her mattress, she grabbed an old photo, taken several years ago at the Natural History Museum. It contained a smiling young April, standing on the front steps with her mom, both of them smiling and laughing at their dad behind the camera; she was seven at the time.

Even back then, her hair was frizzy, like her mom's, and they both had black eyes. Looking at the picture, she could almost hear her mom's laugh; light, kind, and full of life. April was wrapped in a big hug by her mom, right after they had a fun day at the museum making fun of the wild-looking exhibits. About a month later, April's mom was travelling on a ferry when it accidentally struck another ferry, causing it to-

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_.

April quickly shoved the photo underneath her mattress, wiping her eyes dry. She remembered that she was mad at the mutants, so she turned her back to the door, ignoring the knocks until it got too annoying.

"What," she called out. "Are you guys ready to go home?"

Silence, then-

"April," Raph cautiously called through the door. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, still not looking at the door.

More silence, then-

"April," she heard Leo say. April clenched her fists. "I...I'm sorry for snapping at you. We didn't know about your mom-"

"'How could you,'" April said mockingly, mimicking Leo's voice.

"You totally deserved that, man," Mikey whispered, quickly followed by, "OW!"

"No Donnie, Mikey's right," Leo said. "I let my boredom get to me, and I took out my frustrations on April. I...I'm sorry, April. Truly I am." April didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the wall.

"April," Mikey pleaded, "Please come out. I'm sorry for what Leo did as well, and I hope that you'll still want to be our friend."

The young girl turned to look at the door. She no longer felt mad; it felt like it had been picked from her, like cotton seeds from the cotton. Besides, she realized, she didn't have the right to get mad at them like that, even if Leo was being rude. They were good mutants; they didn't even try to come into her room, even though the door didn't lock.

She slowly got up from the bed, limping over to the door, hesitating before she put her hand on the doorknob. "I'm sorry too," she said through the door. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you guys, when you were trying to be my friends. And I forgive you, Leo."

Turning the knob, she opened the door and found the four brothers standing there, looking nervous yet relieved when she opened the door. April looked down at her feet, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out what to do next.

Suddenly, the grumble of Mikey's stomach broke through the silence, as well as game April an idea.

"Hey," she said. "My dad said he left me some money to get pizza tonight. Want some?"

Mikey practically leapt into the air. "YES! Ohmygosh, we've never tried it before, but I've seen it on _Condescending Kitchen_! Is it good?"

"Of course," April said, smiling as she started to cheer up. Looking up, she saw that the other turtles were looking happier too, though Leo still looked ashamed. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Wanna help me choose the toppings?"  
He looked up at her, the red slider marks crinkling as he broke into a huge grin. "Yes!"

"And Raph and Donnie can choose a movie for us to watch," April said, leading the turtles back into the living room. "Something that everyone will be happy with."

"Will do, April," Donnie said, grabbing the Channel Guide and opening it while Raph looked through the stack of DVDs.

"Are you guys vegetarians," she asked, finding some cash under a magnet on the fridge.

"Actually, no," Mikey said. "We can eat meat, and I like plain cheese, but of course, we're not going to eat anything with fish on it, cause they're amphibians like us!"

"No they're not," Leo and Donnie chorused.

"What do you guys want," Leo called.

"Pepperoni and black olives," Raph said. "I saw it on TV once."

"Well, I once saw a Hawaiian pizza on TV," Leo said. "It looks good."

"Let's get vegetables on it," Donnie said, flipping through the guide. "It's healthy!"

"Guys," April said, and they all looked over at her, anxious to hear her opinion. "We can get two pizzas, with your toppings on one half of them. What do you think, Leo?"

"Sounds good," he said, "but what about you, April? What's your favorite topping?"

Three meat with extra cheese, she thought, but didn't want to kick out one of the turtle's toppings. "Cheese," she finally said. "Can I share with you, Mikey?"

"Sure," he said, giving her a big hug. She wasn't used to it, but got a feeling she would get used to it.

"OK," she said, writing down the order on a piece of paper. "Leo," she asked, handing him the food and the order. "Would you do the honors?"

He smiled at her. "It would be my honor," he said, hitting the dial button.


	6. Epilogue (Short)

Later that night, April closed the door to her bedroom, still waving at the retreating green figures as they disappeared over the edge of the rooftop. She lay down on her bed, the comedy movie they watched earlier still playing in her mind. For some reason, the pizza she shared with the turtles was one of the best she'd ever had. Each of them had let her try a slice of their pizza, and they all enjoyed the comedy movie (Raph especially; he seemed to be a comedy fan).

April smiled at the ceiling, happy and content. She was going to spend time with the turtles tomorrow after school, and she had a feeling that this friendship would change her life forever.


End file.
